Africa at a Turning Point?
Africa at a Turning Point?

Author: Delfin Sia Go

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2008-04-14

Total Pages: 602

ISBN-13: 0821372785

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Since the mid-1990s, sub-Saharan Africa has experienced an acceleration of economic growth that has produced rising incomes and faster human development. However, this growth contrasts with the continent's experience between 1975 and 1995, when it largely missed out on two decades of economic progress. This disparity between Africa's current experience and its history raises questions about the continent's development. Is there a turnaround in Africa s economy? Will growth persist? 'Africa at a Turning Point?' is a collection of essays that analyzes three interrelated aspects of Africa's recent revival. The first set of essays examines Africa's recent growth in the context of its history of growth accelerations and collapses. It seeks to answer such questions as, is Africa at a turning point? Are the economic fundamentals finally pointing toward more sustainable growth? The second set of essays looks at donor flows, which play a large role in Africa's growth. These essays focus on such issues as the management and delivery of increased aid, and the history and volatility of donor flows to Africa. The third set of essays considers the recent impact of one persistent threat to sustained growth in Africa: commodity price shocks, particularly those resulting from fluctuations in oil prices.

Human Capital and Economic Growth
Human Capital and Economic Growth

Author: Andreas Savvides

Publisher: Stanford University Press

Published: 2008-10-10

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 0804769761

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book provides an in-depth investigation of the link between human capital and economic growth. The authors take an innovative approach, examining the determinants of economic growth through a historical overview of the concept of human capital. The text fosters a deep understanding of the connection between human capital and economic growth through the exploration of different theoretical approaches, a review of the literature, and the application of nonlinear estimation techniques to a comprehensive data set. The authors discuss nonparametric econometric techniques and their application to estimating nonlinearities—which has emerged as one of the most salient features of empirical work in modeling the human capital-growth relationship, and the process of economic growth in general. By delving into the topic from theoretical and empirical standpoints, this book offers an insightful new view that will be extremely useful for scholars, students, and policy makers.

Understanding and Reducing Persistent Poverty in Africa
Understanding and Reducing Persistent Poverty in Africa

Author: Christopher B. Barrett

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-10-21

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1317997476

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Prior work has shown that there is a significant amount of turnover amongst the African poor as households exit and enter poverty. Some of this mobility can be attributed to regular movement back and forth in response to exogenous variability in climate, prices, health, etc. ('churning'). Other crossings of the poverty line reflect permanent shifts in long-term well-being associated with gains or losses of productive assets or permanent changes in asset productivity due, for example, to adoption of improved technologies or access to new, higher-value markets. Distinguishing true structural mobility from simple churning is important because it clarifies the factors that facilitate such important structural change. Conversely, it also helps identify the constraints that may leave other households caught in a trap of persistent, structural poverty. The papers in this book help to distinguish the types of poverty and to deepen understanding of the structural features and constraints that create poverty traps. Such an understanding allows communities, local governments and donors to take proactive, effective steps to combat persistent poverty in Africa. This book was previously published as a special issue of the Journal of Development Studies.

Gender Equality and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Gender Equality and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author: Ms. Lisa L Kolovich

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2024-04-11

Total Pages: 429

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Efforts to achieve gender equality will not only help sub-Saharan Africa revive its inclusive growth engine but also will ensure progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and help address the main disruptive challenges of this century. This book explores the progress made in gender equality in the region, highlighting both the challenges and successes in areas such as legal reforms; education; health; gender-based violence; harmful practices, such as child marriage; and financial inclusion. It takes stock of initiatives towards integrating gender into core macroeconomic and structural reforms, such as through implementing gender budgeting and examines the role that fiscal and other policies can play in closing gender gaps when they are mindful of distributional impacts. Drawing from extensive research across different institutions, the book underscores the macroeconomic significance of gender equality, emphasizing its potential to drive GDP growth, enhance economic stability, reduce income inequality, and foster sustainable development. It lays out how gender gaps interact with emerging challenges, such as digitalization, and explores the impact of global megatrends, such as climate change, on gender inequality, offering strategies for inclusive policy responses—including in a context where women and girls are still carrying a disproportionate care burden that is often not captured in economic measurement. The book aims to serve as a roadmap for policymakers, stakeholders, and advocates seeking to harness the untapped potential of gender equality—for its own sake and for the region's inclusive, sustainable, and green development. It calls for concerted efforts to dismantle structural barriers, transform social norms, and prioritize gender-responsive policies to unlock the full economic potential of sub-Saharan Africa.

Childhoods at the Intersection of the Local and the Global
Childhoods at the Intersection of the Local and the Global

Author: Afua Twum-Danso Imoh

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2012-10-23

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 1137283343

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Childhoods at the Intersection of the Local and the Global examines the imposition of the modern Western notion of childhood, which is now deemed as universal, on other cultures and explores how local communities react to these impositions in various ways such as manipulation, outright rejection and acceptance. The book discusses childhoods in different regions of the world and boasts a range of contributors from several academic disciplines such as Sociology, Social Work, Education, Anthropology, Criminology and Human Rights, who are experts on the regions they discuss. The book argues against the notion of a universal childhood and illustrates that different societies around the world have different notions of childhood. This book is recommended reading for students, scholars and practitioners working with children in the Global South as well as internationally.

Uncertainty Shocks in Africa
Uncertainty Shocks in Africa

Author: Giuseppe T. Cirella

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-02-03

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 303121885X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book explores in detail how African countries dealt with the pandemic and how it affected different aspects of different economies and social structures. Observing how human beings change the environment and, specifically, how population growth and urbanization negatively impact nature, recently shocked economies and social upheaval in Africa indicate a crossroads moment for the continent. The book further adds to the knowledge base of how to build a more robust Africa with sustainable solutions working in tandem with vibrant and robust economies. Commonsense social strategies go hand in hand with trackable shocked economies via first- and second-moment reactions. Uncertainty shocks, in this case, interrelate via an umbrella effect. The authors evaluate theories of impact shocks using a sustainable growth and change model. Finally, key topics incorporate new urban thinking for economic recovery, developing sustainable economies post-COVID-19, understanding social practices during a crisis, and developing community robustness via shock events. The book integrates an interdisciplinary approach to understanding how to best mitigate the COVID-19 crisis as well as reduce future shocks to the African continent. It raises vital questions connecting the effects of lockdown measures, crisis causation, and shock impacts most countries faced over the last two-year period. The answers to these questions are not limited to economists and sociologists, instead, they magnify to include policymakers and everyday people. The nature of this book is to help piece together solutions for preparedness, a stronger understanding of sound development, and a united and resilient Pan-Africanism to best handle future shock events.

The International Library of Essays on Capital Punishment, Volume 2
The International Library of Essays on Capital Punishment, Volume 2

Author: Peter Hodgkinson

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-12-05

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1351887505

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The essays selected for this volume develop conventional abolition discourse and explore the conceptual framework through which abolition is understood and posited. Of particular interest is the attention given to an integral but often forgotten element of the abolition debate: alternatives to capital punishment. The volume also provides an account of strategies employed by the abolition community which challenges tired methodologies and offers a level of transparency previously unseen. This collection tackles complex but fundamental components of the capital punishment debate using empirical data and expert observations and is essential reading for those wishing to comprehend the fundamental issues which underpin capital punishment discourse.